Grain-separator.



No. 658,|09. Patented Sent. [8, I900; L

A. mama. GRAIN SEPARATOR.

(Application filed Nov 25, 1898.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES AUGUST HEINE, on SILVER CREEK,

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO LIZZIE HEINE, OF SAME PLACE.

eRAm-sEPARAToii.

srmmt'meiv forming part of Letters Patent No; 658,109, dated September18, 1900.

Application filed November 25, 1898. Serial No. 697,351. (No model.)

To all tvhmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST HEINE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Silver screens arranged one below the other, zigzag fashion,within the casing and below the Creek, in the county of OhautauquaandState of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements inGrain-Separators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a separator mainly designed for separatinggrain, seeds, malt, &c., in which the screens are composed of elasticneedles or thin bars which are fixed at their upper ends and free fromtheir fixed upper ends to their lower ends and in which the material tobe separated is delivered against these needles at such a distance fromtheir fixed upper ends and at such an angle to the surface of the screenthat the impact of the material against the needles causes a vibratoryor trembling movement of the same, which prevents the screens frombecoming clogged by lodged material and also facilitates and enhancesthe separating action.

The object of my invention is to improve the construction and operationof this class of separating screens in several respects, which will behereinafter fully explained.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical longitudinalsection of a grainseparator provided with my improvements. Figs. 2, 3,and at are vertical transverse sections in lines 2 2, 3 3, and 4 4, Fig.1, respectively. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of theseparating-screens.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

The inc-losing case of the separator may be of any suitableconstruction. As shown in the drawings, it is composed of atop board A,having an opening a, through which the grain or other material to beseparated enters the machine, side Walls A, front and rear walls A A anda bottom A. The front wall A is provided with a removable panel or doorI) and the rear Wall A with a removable panel I). The feed-opening a isarranged in the top A near the front wall A Below this opening there isarranged the feed-hopper G, which has an inclined rear wall 0 andan'inclined front wall 0, which latter extends rearwardly and downwardlybeyond the lower end of the inclined rear wall 0. The front and rearwalls 0 c of the feed-hopper are arranged between the side walls A ofthe casing.

D D D D represent four separatingfeed-hopper. Inthe arrangement ofscreens the tail or lower end of each screen to the next screen below.Each screen is mounted in a frame which is removably arranged in thecasing, so that each screen and frame can be withdrawn from the casingfor cleaning or making repairs upon removing the appropriate door orremovable panel of the casing. Each screen is composed of thin bars,wires, or needles E, which are elastic or springy and which are securedat their upper ends side by side at the proper distance apart to across-head F, while their lower ends are free, so that these needles arefree to vibrate under the impact and fiow of the material. Theseelastic, pliant, or springy screen bars, wires, or needles, which willbe hereinafter called needles for the sake of brevity, are made of angleor elbow form and have their upper portions e extending from thecross-head F, to which they are secured, downwardly and preferablyobliquely to the bends e of the needles and have their lower portions eextending from the bends downwardly to the lower free ends of theneedles at the proper angle for efiecting the desired separation andflow of the material. The

grain or other material is delivered upon the lower portions of theneedles between the bends and the lower free ends thereof; so as tocause the needles to vibrate or tremble by the impact and flow of thematerial, thereby producing a vibratory action of the needles whichtends to prevent grains or other particles from lodgingbetween theneedles and which also enhances the separating action. As the materialis delivered only against the lower portions of the needles below theirbends, the upper portions of the needles above their bends are notliable to become obstructed by lodged particles. The upper portions ofthe needles increase considerably the length of the needles, andconsequently the vibrations thereof, without increasing the length ofthe screen itself, and as the point at which the material is deliveredagainst the needles is located at a considerable distance from the fixedends of the needles the vibratory action at that point iscorrespondingly lively.

Each screen-frame has two side plates G, of angle or elbow form,corresponding to the form of the separating-needles. The upper portionsof these side plates are connected by the cross-head F of the screen,which is arranged between them and secured at its ends thereto. Thiscross-head consists of a denbled strip of tin, which straddles the upperends of the needles and to which the needles are secured by soldering.The cross-head is secured at its ends to the side plates by soldering,the side plates being also preferably constructed of tin. In rear of thecross-head and of the upper portions 6 of the needles there is secured achute-stop or gather-plate II, which protects the screen against thematerial which has passed through the next upper screen and whichdirects such material as strikes the plate to the rear of the screenbelow such plate. The latter is arranged at such a distance from theneedles as not to interfere with the vibratory action of the same. Thisplate is preferably also made of tin and doubled at its upper end tostiffen that end and support the plate at a sufficient distance from theneedles. This stop-plate is soldered at its upper end to the cross-headof the screen and at its sides to the side plates of the screenframe. Inthe separator represented in Fig. 1 the first and second screens D D arealso provided with these stop-plates,although such plates arenotrequired for these uppersc'reens, as no material can fall on thebacks of these screens from above. In these screens the plates operateonly as stiffening connections for the upper portions of the sideplates, and the presence of these plates in all the screens renders thelatter interchangeable.

I represents a cross'bar which connects the lower portions of the sideplates of the screenframes and which is arranged above the lowerportions of the needles at such a height that it permits of theunrestricted flow of the material over the screen, but intercepts anygrains or other particles which bound up from the screen. This bar issecured to the side platesby soldering or otherwise and serves both as atransverse connection and as a deflector or stop for particles whichrebound too high from the screen-surface.

Each side plate of the screen-frame is provided on its inner side with arib or flange preferably of about the same thickness of the needles orless. This flange projects inwardly from the side plate and follows thesurface of the screen, being of angular or elbow form, like the needles,and arranged in line therewith. This flange forms a guard which preventsparticles from wedging between the end needle of the screen and the 1may require. 1 Fig. 1 the grain is directed by the long front plate ofthe feed-hopper against the lower port-ions of the needles of the upperscreen D. The grain which does not pass through fiat inner side of thescreen-frame or other side wall which confines the screen, where suchparticles would be ditficult to dislodge, as the flat surface of theside wall would form a large contact-surface for lodged particles torest against. If a particle lodges between the end needle and theguard-flange, it finds no support except against the narrow inner edgeof the flange, which does not afford sufficient bearing-surface to holdsuch particles against the vibrating action of the needles.

The upper edges of the side walls of the screen-frame are provided withoutwardlyprojecting flanges j, by which the screen is supported ininclined grooves j, formed in the inner faces of the side Walls A of theeasing. The outer ends of these grooves are closed by the removablepanels or doors of the casing. Upon removing these panels or doors thescreens can be withdrawn from the casing for cleaning or making repairs.

In the separator shown in Fig. 1 four screens are arranged one above theother; but the number and arrangement of the screens and of the inletand outlet passages 1 may be varied as the particular kind of work whichthe separator is designed to perform In the arrangement shown in thisscreen is directed by this screen against 5 the lower portions of theneedles of the next lower screen D.

This screen delivers the grain in like manner to the next lower screen Dand the latter to the lowermost screen D The material which passesthrough the first and third screens D D, which are arranged on the rearside of the separator, falls upon the inclined gather board K andescapes through the opening in the rear wall of the casing. In likemanner the material which passes through the second and fourth screens DD which are arranged on the front side of the separator, falls upon thegather-board K and escapes through the opening 76' in the front wall ofthe casing. The material which tails off from the lowermost screen fallsupon the inclined board L and escapes through the opening Z in the rearwall of the casing.

I claim as my invention- 1. A stationary separatorscreen having springy,vibratory needles which are fixed at their upper ends and free fromtheir fixed ends to their lower ends and which are of angular or elbowform, having their upper portions, above their bends, arranged in such aposition that the material is prevented from coming in contact with thesame, and having their lower portions, below their bends, arranged atthe proper inclination to cause the flow of the material by gravity,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a stationary separating-screen having sprin gy,vibratory needles which are fixed at their upper ends and free fromtheir fixed ends to their lower ends and which are of angular or elbowform, having their lower portions, below their bends, arranged at theproper inclination to cause the flow of the material by gravity, of adirecting-surface whereby the material is directed against the lowerportions of the needles below the bends thereof, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination with a stationary separating-screen having springy,vibratory n'eedles which are fixed at their upper ends and free fromtheir fixed ends to their lower ends and which are of angular or elbowform, having their lower portions, below their bends, arranged at theproper inclination to cause the flow of the material by gravity, of astopplate arranged behind the upper portions of the needles, above thebends thereof, to protect the same against material falling from above,substantially as set forth.

4. A stationary separating-screen compose of side plates, a cross-headconnecting said plates, springy, vibratory needles of angular or elbowform secured at their upper ends to said cross-head and free from theirfixed ends to their lower ends, their lower portions, be-

' the side plates 658,2id a low their bends, having the proper inclination to cause the flow of the material by gravity, and a stop-platearranged between and extending from said crosshead downwardly behind theupper portions of the needles to their bends, substantially as setforth.

5. The combination with a stationary separatin g-sc'reen having springy,vibratory needles which are fixed at their upper ends and free fromtheir fixed ends to their lower ends and which are of angular or elbowform, hav ing their lower portions, below their bends, arranged at theproper inclination to cause the flow of the material by gravity, ofupright side walls between which said needles are arranged, and rigidguard-flanges projecting from said walls inwardly and arranged in theplane of the lower portions of the needles, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 23d day of Novem* ber, 1898.

AUGUST HEINE.

Witnesses:

S. NEWTON, J. D. NAGLE.

